Monday, March 7

Lights Out by Ted Koppel

In a world with growing technological connectivity, cyberattacks
are growing more and more common. As these attacks become more commonplace,
there is the increasing risk that an attack could successfully target the
United States’ energy system. If this were to happen, it could have a
devastating effect on the country’s economy, and on the citizen’s health. The
resulting blackout could last for weeks…or for months.

How prepared are we for such an event? Author Ted Koppel
argues that we are not well prepared at all. While groups such as FEMA are
prepared for acts of natural disaster, such as an earthquake or hurricane, thy
are not at all prepared for a potential nation-wide disaster. After all, we’ve
seen their limitations with events such as Hurricane Katrina. And homeland security?
Their recommendation is to keep a battery powered radio on hand.

Koppel introduces us to some doomsday preppers and how they
prepare for such possibilities. However, these people are only planning for
themselves and maybe their family. They’d hardly be in a position to help a
massive group of people. And most people barely keep enough food in stock to
last for a week or two, let alone moths. Those living in small one or two
bedroom apartments, especially in places like New York City or San Francisco
would have an even harder time prepping for such disaster due to space
limitations.

Koppel is a strong writer and does a great job illustrating
what life could be like if such a disaster were to occur. He also does a good
job at showing how such an attack truly is possible. One of the more
interesting parts of the book was his examination of the Mormon church, and how
some Mormon communities maintain supplies for emergencies, which they feel like
their faith leads them to do.

However, the one thing I thought was lacking were practical
ideas on what to do. Especially given that most people don’t have the space or
money to keep a lot of extra food/water on hand, what should the average person
do to prepare for such an event? Pester my state representative hoping for
government change? That certainly doesn’t seem like a fruitful activity. At
least a few pages of ideas would’ve been a welcome addition.

Still, it was a highly interesting book which does a great
job at illustrating the potential of such an attack. I certainly hope our
government begins to see the risks involved with this.

4/5 Stars

I received this book free from
Crown Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books program. I was not
required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR,
Part 255